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- A project proposal,
also sometimes called a business or work proposal,
is a document that defines the approach needed
to execute a solution that meets a given set
of project requirements and constraints.
This document might be the first or only time
a perspective client hears from your team
about how you'd approach the project.
It's your chance to show who you are,
what you've accomplished,
and why you're the best fit for this project.
In other words,
a work proposal should make you stand out above the others.
On a more practical level,
a project proposal is also a written commitment
of what you plan to execute if you win the contract.
Your proposal document must walk through the balance
of selling yourself,
while making clear commitments
to scope, timeline, and budget.
While each situation might call for something different,
investing time upfront to format a proposal template
will make it easy for you to create iterations quickly
as requests arise.
Here are seven sections you should consider including
in your project proposal template:
The executive summary provides a quick overview
of the proposal at hand.
Be sure to touch on three main items
in this brief introduction.
State the problem,
showing an understanding of what needs to be solved.
Touch on your unique ability to solve this problem.
Thank your perspective client
for selecting you to submit a work proposal,
and if you've drafted a long proposal,
consider adding a table of contents
right before or after this section.
Use this space to tell the reader about your company.
Share your mission, values or qualifications.
Showcase key team members
who will be working on the project,
along with their qualifications.
This section is the heart of any project proposal
and it's where you lay out the how and why of your plan.
Start by stating your understanding of the client's needs.
This is a great place to highlight specific things you heard
from your conversations or learned in your research.
For example, show how this approach will address
their growing mobile audience
or how you'll bring stakeholder voices into the process.
Next, outline the phases and steps you plan to take
to complete your proposed solution.
Be sure to explain what each step involves
and why it's part of your approach.
The budget should include costs for all requested items
plus any additional options you recommend.
List these out separately
so your potential client has clear choices to make.
As you draft your proposal budget,
determine whether a fixed number, hourly rate
or cost range is best.
Typically it depends on how much you know about the client
and project scope and how comfortable you feel with risk.
You might also wanna highlight costs
they'll need to consider that aren't part of your budget,
like hosting, fonts, animation or long-term maintenance.
Timelines can be tricky because you're never sure
when the project will actually start
and what resources you'll have available.
That's why we recommend creating a month-by-month timeline
that doesn't put dates to deliverables.
This way, the potential client can get a clear sense
of how long things take without focusing on real dates
that might be obsolete
by the time the project actually starts.
Of course, many project proposals require dates.
In that case, why not use a tool to save time?
For instance, TeamGantt gives you the ability
to make an initial Gantt chart,
then quickly adjust the timeline for future proposals.
You can even share the project timeline
with a client as a view-only link or a PDF export.
While we recommend showcasing your credibility
throughout the proposal,
this section is a great place to include a logo wall,
list of clients or case studies.
Take time to build a backlog you can choose from.
Then create a new one
with each site project you think is proposal-worthy.
Of course, don't forget to include references
with direct contact information.
Now it's time to wrap up your project proposal.
Hit the high points with a brief recap of the problem
and your solution and don't forget
to recommend continuing the conversation.
Even after your hard work
creating the perfect proposal template,
you still might find it's not always the right fit
for every response.
When that happens, it's important to recognize
why the situation is different
and identify how to shift your submission
to meet the recipient's needs.
So let's take a moment to review some different types
of project proposals you might be asked to prepare.
An RFP can sometimes be accompanied
by a strict closed process
that offers little to no interaction
with the potential client.
You may also be up against a large pool of applicants
with quite likely response requirements.
When deciding how to respond to an RFP,
consider the following questions:
What's the probability you'll win this project?
Have you worked with another part of this organization?
Do you know someone within the organization?
How many people are going to submit a response?
Is the prospective client an ideal fit for your team?
And how often do you win RFPs?
Based on your answers,
determine how much time and effort you wanna put
into customizing your template.
Some proposal requests only ask for part of your skills,
like discovery and design, but no development,
but that doesn't mean you can't still sell
your entire capabilities.
After all, the potential client may change their mind
about what they need for this project or a future one.
Any partial project proposal should also touch
on how you plan to effectively work with another team
to create a smooth transition.
We've all worked with clients who have stayed with us
long enough to ask us to do it all over again.
Sometimes they require you
to go through a formal selection process,
but many times the process becomes as informal
as a handshake.
Even if your client doesn't require a proposal,
formalize the process by giving them at minimum
your template response.
It's important for each side to have a conversation
about what's needed this time around
and create a written recommendation
for the scope, budget, and timeline.
Before a formal proposal request arrives,
you may be asked to tell the potential client
a little bit about yourself.
While a quick email response can work,
consider going bigger since this is a perfect opportunity
to sell yourself.
Take your core project proposal and break it down
into a one to two-page document,
sharing key items, like your values, core focus areas,
people you work with, and visual samples of your work.
Ideally, you'll follow up
with a full project proposal soon after,
so don't give away all the good stuff
or create a shorter duplicate.
An RFP might dictate what sections go into your proposal,
but the visuals, content,
and presentation make all the difference when it comes
to whether or not your work proposal is actually effective.
These simple guidelines can help you sharpen
your proposal-writing skills.
It's critical to understand who will be reviewing
the business proposal on the client's team,
as well as the industry they work within.
Set up meetings and do market research to get to know
what challenges they face,
how they're positioned against their competitors
and where they could see growth with this project.
A small amount of research will go a long way
in showing you understand the client and their needs.
A request for proposal often dictates
what the solution should be.
Once you dig in further and learn more
about the client's needs,
you may find they need a different solution.
Never shy away from sharing the right solution and approach,
even if the budget and timeline run up against it.
Potential clients often guess at their needs.
As experts we should share our recommendation
versus selling the solution short.
If you do veer away from what the client asked originally,
make sure to acknowledge that request
while recommending the different solution.
That way they know you heard them.
Everything you place in front of potential clients
will help form their opinion about your work.
Take time upfront to create a work proposal template
that's heavily branded, with first-class writing.
The proposal should feel unique to you
and meet the quality of the work your entire team does.
Outside validation of your work is important
and should never be underestimated.
Think carefully about which clients you plan to showcase
for each business proposal
and what message that conveys to your prospect.
Is it a client similar to them?
Is it a North Star for them?
Is it technically complicated or visually stunning?
Try to choose these case studies that tell a full story
of your capabilities.
Also don't hesitate to infuse the validation
throughout the proposal.
Any good product website sows you social proof
early and often.
People like to know who they'll be working with,
the humans behind the screen.
Find clever ways to incorporate visuals of your team
and highlight their skills throughout the proposal.
Sending the right document is just as important
as making sure it's done on time.
Having a clear process and a tool to track it
is essential for avoiding panic at the 11th hour,
not to mention angry staff members.
Outline your workflow
from the first contact to deal completion.
When critical steps are mapped out in a plan,
it's easy to see where things are falling behind
and what needs to happen
to hit key proposal deadlines on time.
Using a collaborative project management tool like TeamGantt
can help you get all your team members on the same page
around tasks and deadlines.
We've created a free project proposal process template
for you in TeamGantt so you can jump right in.
You'll have all the features you need
to make sure projects finish on time and on budget.
And it all comes with a simple and intuitive interface
that's easy for anyone to use.
And that's it for this video
on writing great project proposals.
I hope you find it helpful, and if you did,
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Thanks for watching.
I'll see you next week.